Chapter 41 A few days after the marriage, the Beiliang envoys officially arrived...
A few days later, the envoys from Northern Liang officially arrived in Bian Jing. The emperor ordered the Sixth Prince to be responsible for the reception and to ask for permission to meet His Majesty after they were properly settled.
But I didn't expect that something big would happen during this period.
It turned out that some envoys wanted to tour the city, but did not want to make a big fuss, so the Sixth Prince took them to his own property, where they enjoyed themselves with wine and music.
However, he didn't expect that someone in the next box was speaking out loudly, praising the imperial court and secretly cursing Beiliang's wolfish ambitions, and saying that the Beiliang barbarians were "greedy and greedy". His words were harsh and his tone was contemptuous.
This angered the envoys who came to the court.
And this person was none other than his "father's" good son Xiao Huaian.
Xiao Wangshu was quite surprised by this. Indeed, it was not surprising for his stupid brother to say such words. But no matter how stupid his brother was, he knew that the envoy was already in the city. How could he have the courage to speak so arrogantly outside?
It was such a coincidence that he ran into the envoy. Xiao Wangshu didn't believe that there was no conspiracy here.
Thinking of the assassinations that took place when he came to Beijing, Xiao Wangshu had some ideas in his mind, but he didn't know whether the person behind the scenes was targeting him or his "good father".
Now, in order to appease the envoy's anger, Xiao Huaian has been thrown into prison. If he said this under normal circumstances, he would not be punished, but the bad thing is that he offended the envoy. As long as the envoy does not give in, the emperor can only kill him if he does not want to go to war.
I think his father must have been extremely anxious.
Wait until the morning court session for the envoys to come and see the emperor.
In the Golden Palace, the envoys from Northern Liang presented their credentials and gift list. Their attitude seemed respectful, but there was a firmness in their words that could not be ignored.
They praised the eldest princess Xie Xinyi (Princess Anping), who married into Northern Liang, for her virtue and kindness, how she was deeply respected and loved by the king, and how she had given birth to a healthy son and was now the mother of Northern Liang.
Then, he changed the subject and said that the younger brother of the King of Beiliang, a prince with outstanding achievements, had heard that the princess of the Celestial Empire was not only of noble status but also talented and beautiful, and he admired her very much. He specially asked the Emperor for permission to send another princess to Beiliang as the prince's concubine, so as to establish a good relationship between the two countries and permanently consolidate peace on the border.
His words were sincere and he did not mention the disrespect that happened the day before at all, but his attitude was very clear. If His Majesty the Emperor did not agree, he would immediately bring up that person. Even if he killed Xiao Huaian, there would probably be a war.
Given Your Majesty's character, Xiao Huaian is almost certain to die regardless of whether he agrees to the envoy's request or not.
"Your Majesty, I find the envoy's remarks absurd! Asking for one princess isn't enough, but asking for another, and not even a principal wife! This shows a complete disregard for our Zhongshan Kingdom!"
It was the Minister of Rites who spoke. It seemed that his good father could no longer sit still.
Of course, he said this just to let the envoy bring up the incident of his son contradicting the envoy that day. Then he would have his own reasons to prevaricate and would not let this incident become a handle for the envoy to control His Majesty. In this way, Xiao Huaian would still have a chance of survival.
Unfortunately, the envoy did not accept the challenge, but instead bowed again and said:
"The Queen of Beiliang has instructed us on this trip that His Majesty of Zhongshan is her father. We dare not disrespect him, so we offer him ten boxes of silver and gold, a box of jewels, ten thousand-mile horses, and two beauties to demonstrate Beiliang's sincerity in seeking the hand of Princess Zhongshan."
As he spoke, the envoys from Northern Liang brought up the things. At the end of the delegation, two slim beauties dressed in exotic clothes came out. Large areas of fair skin were exposed on their bodies. Many old ministers turned their heads away, saying that it was immoral.
However, as the Northern Liang envoy said, these two beauties are indeed outstanding in appearance.
At least Xiao Wangshu saw clearly that the emperor on the high platform was really moved.
However, Xiao Wangshu looked calmly at His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince who was standing at the front of the team on the left. His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince always loved to show his deep affection for his sister. Today, when the envoys asked to marry the princess, why did he remain silent?
"This matter is of great importance. Please rest at the post station for a few days. I will give you a reply upon your return to Beiliang. Let's adjourn the court today!"
After that, the eunuch shouted to all the ministers to kneel down and leave the court.
After the morning court session, Xiao Wangshu did not leave the palace. Naturally, His Majesty had left a few ministers in the cabinet to discuss the princess's marriage.
Inside the cabinet, the atmosphere was so heavy that water could almost drip out.
The emperor's face turned pale, and he slammed the teacup in his hand onto the imperial table with a harsh sound. He pointed at the kneeling Minister of Rites Xiao Jingshan and angrily shouted:
"Xiao Jingshan! Look at your good son! He's just a cockfighting, horseback riding idiot, and unlearned, but now he dares to speak wildly in front of the envoy, giving them an opportunity to attack! Don't you think I have enough troubles?!"
Xiao Jingshan fell to the ground, sweat dripping from his face, and pleaded repeatedly:
"I failed to educate my son properly and deserve death! Your Majesty, please calm down!"
His Majesty was still furious and was about to vent his anger when he glanced at the elegant and graceful Xiao Wangshu standing beside him. He seemed to remember that his new favorite minister was also Xiao Jingshan's son. So he swallowed the more unpleasant words on his lips, snorted heavily, and said with a flick of his sleeve:
"Calm down! Now the Beiliang people are using your son's fault to force me to marry my daughter off. How can I calm down?! Tell me! What should we do now?"
Xiao Jingshan, kneeling on the ground, naturally complained bitterly. What could he do? Start a war? But after the Nanshu incident years ago, the generals had already been dispatched to various counties to guard the border. Not to mention how much time it would take to mobilize troops, even the supply of food and fodder for the journey was a problem.
Now that the national treasury is empty, we must not go to war. Moreover, we have to guard against Southern Shu. Once Southern Shu invades after we mobilize troops, the consequences will be something he cannot bear.
But he was unwilling to watch his son become a victim to appease the anger of Beiliang. He kowtowed again and said:
"Your Majesty, Beiliang has wicked ambitions, and how can they be satisfied simply through a marriage alliance? Their request to marry the princess is fake; their real intention is to start a war through Zhongshan! If we compromise this time, they will surely think Zhongshan is weak and can be bullied. In the future..."
"Later?! You're talking about later? Let's get through this first!"
The emperor interrupted him impatiently. He didn't comment on Xiao Jingshan's words. He didn't care about the life of the minister's son. If he could really use this man's life to exchange for temporary peace, he would definitely be willing to do so. However, he couldn't say this. He turned his gaze to the Fourth Prince:
"Old Four, you say!"
Xie Jingrong was startled when he was suddenly called out, but before he came, Yao Ce had analyzed the pros and cons for him, so he naturally had his own way of speaking.
"Father, the eldest princess has already given birth to a legitimate son in Beiliang, and her position is now stable. I think she is asking for marriage this time because she is homesick. With the eldest princess around, the princess won't be able to endure any grievances even if she goes.
"Now that our Zhongshan treasury is empty, it's really not appropriate to go to war. If a princess can buy a hundred years of peace, allowing me to recuperate and recuperate, that's not a bad idea. In the future, if the eldest sister's son ascends the throne, the relationship between Beiliang and Zhongshan will surely be even stronger."
Although he did not name the princess in his words, his majesty only had one princess left now, and that was Princess Duanyang. Therefore, everyone knew that Princess Duanyang had to be the one to marry this time.
However, the Fourth Prince was unaware that the Emperor had no intention of marrying her. Firstly, she was the daughter he had watched grow up and loved dearly. Secondly, he had already promised Concubine Liu that he would never allow Duan Yang to marry. Furthermore, the envoys only offered her the position of a concubine. How could he allow Duan Yang to suffer such injustice?
So the emperor just remained silent.
The hall was in a stalemate for a moment.
At this moment, the Sixth Prince Xie Yongheng suddenly stepped forward, his tone gentle but with undeniable force:
"Father, what Fourth Brother said makes sense. But..."
He paused for a moment deliberately to attract everyone's attention before speaking.
"But Beiliang only wants the title of princess. In my opinion, it doesn't have to be your Majesty's own daughter. It would be better to choose a woman from your royal family or the daughter of a minister, and make her a princess and marry her to Beiliang. It would also be a great honor. As for the choice."
He chuckled and said nothing, but his last glance fell on Xiao Jingshan who was kneeling beside him, and everyone's gaze followed him to Xiao Jingshan.
His idea was really smooth. On the one hand, he agreed with the Fourth Prince, and cleverly selected a princess from the royal family, so his sister naturally didn't have to go to marry. On the other hand, he directed the disaster to Xiao Jingshan and did not offend other ministers. After all, the disaster was caused by Xiao Jingshan's son. The most important thing was that His Majesty the Emperor was satisfied.
Xiao Jingshan, who was kneeling on the ground, was also a smart man. When he heard what the Sixth Prince said, he looked up and met everyone's gaze again. There was nothing he didn't understand. He just felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
This requires him to make a choice.
Choose a daughter or a son.
On one side is the son who has caused a huge disaster, and on the other side is the daughter Yanran, who has been loved since childhood and is well-behaved and lovely... The answer seems obvious.
Perhaps several seconds passed, perhaps only a moment, the veins on Xiao Jingshan's forehead throbbed, and sweat dripped down his forehead.
In the end, his love for his family, his preference for his son, and the crisis at hand outweighed everything else. He kowtowed heavily, his voice hoarse and dry:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your youngest daughter, Yanran, is only sixteen years old and has a gentle temperament... If Your Majesty does not abandon me, I am willing... willing to obey Your Majesty's arrangements!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people in the hall varied. The Emperor's expression eased slightly, as if he thought this was a good solution. The Fourth Prince frowned slightly, but did not object. The Sixth Prince's lips curled up in a barely perceptible sneer.
Xiao Wangshu stood aside, taking it all in, and his heart went cold.
The Sixth Prince truly had a brilliant strategy. From using Xiao Huaian to cause trouble to guiding the marriage, his ultimate goal was to force the Xiao family to hand over Xiao Yanran! Now, while he was currying favor with His Majesty, he had also alienated the Fourth Prince from Xiao Jingshan, eliminated a key general from the Fourth Prince's faction, and even saved his sister from having to travel to Beiliang for the marriage. It was truly a three-pronged approach.
The key point is that the Sixth Prince had not communicated with him at all during this period, and it was obvious that he no longer trusted him. This situation might not be meant to intimidate him or warn him.
After the meeting, Xiao Wangshu deliberately slowed down his pace and walked side by side with the Sixth Prince for a while.
"Your Highness is very calculating." Xiao Wangshu said in a flat voice.
The Sixth Prince turned his head to look at him, his smile still as warm as the spring breeze:
"What are you talking about, Wangshu? I'm only sharing our father's worries. But your brother... well, young people are a bit too impulsive. But if your sister can share the country's worries, it's a good thing, and Lord Xiao will surely be able to atone for his sins."
The threat and pride in his words were not concealed at all. Xiao Wangshu sneered in his heart, but his face remained calm:
"I hope so. However, the people of Beiliang are unpredictable. I hope that Your Highness's actions can truly bring peace."
"nature."
The Sixth Prince gave him a meaningful look and turned away.
Looking at the Sixth Prince's departing back, Xiao Wangshu felt heavy-hearted. Although he disliked the Xiao family, his feelings towards his sister had always been complicated. Moreover, this matter could be described as an unprovoked disaster for Yanran.
There must be room for a turnaround in this matter, and the key lies with the eldest princess. But before that, he wants to ask Yanran's opinion.
He immediately left the palace and rushed to the Xiao Mansion. Standing at the door of the Xiao Mansion again, he could say that things and people had changed. This time, the servants did not dare to stop him. One of them led him to the study, and the other ran to pass on the report.
Xiao Jingshan, who rushed over, didn't look very good, and even his words were filled with anger.
"What are you doing here? You are not welcome here!"
"Master Xiao, please don't blame me for not reminding you. Now you and I are both officials in the court, and our ranks are equal. Just for what you said just now, I can report you."
The servants did not dare to neglect and served him good tea early, but Xiao Wangshu did not drink it and just left it steaming beside him.
His chest heaving up and down, Xiao Jingshan managed to suppress his anger, and forced himself to sit down, revealing a somewhat terrifying smile.
"What's the matter, sir? The Xiao family has some family matters to attend to, so we really don't have time to entertain you."
Xiao Wangshu then lost all his temper and said stiffly:
"I'm here to see Yanran. Perhaps there will be some resolution to the marriage."
Hearing him say this, Xiao Jingshan calmed down, but there was doubt in his eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he finally agreed.
When I saw Yanran, she was still wearing pink clothes, sitting by the window and crying silently. The butterfly on her head swayed with her sobs, looking lifelike.
Seeing him coming, she hurriedly wiped away her tears and forced a smile, saying:
"Brother, you're here."
Feeling a little humiliated, Xiao Wangshu couldn't help but speak bluntly:
"Yanran, the marriage is not a foregone conclusion. If you don't want to, I will find a way."
But unexpectedly, Xiao Yanran shook her head. The tears in her eyes had not yet dried, and her whole face was still red. Her eyes were firm:
"Brother, I know you mean well. But Father has already decided to trade me for Huai'an... This is the best solution right now. I... I'm willing to go." She paused, sobbed a few more times, and then said:
"Brother, it's not easy for you in the court. You don't have to offend father and His Majesty again for me."
"Yanran, you really need to think it through. Marriage is no joke. That remote place can't compare to the prosperity of Bianjing, and it's also very far from here. How can you adapt to it?"
Hearing Yanran say this, how could Xiao Wangshu be willing to let Yanran go to that bitter and cold place, so he tried to persuade her again.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yanran covered her ears and shook her head, saying stubbornly:
"Brother, you don't need to persuade me anymore. My father has raised me, and Huai'an has been very kind to me. I am willing to do this, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."
When Xiao Wangshu returned, it was already dark. He couldn't describe his mood, but he felt a little uncomfortable.
When he entered the mansion, he found that the light in the bedroom was on. At a glance, Xiao Wangshu knew that the prince had come. He had never been so anxious before. He pushed the door open and entered the bedroom in two steps.
As expected, His Highness was already waiting for him in the room. The dim candlelight stretched His Highness's shadow very long. He had one hand resting on the coffee table on the couch, and the other hand holding a book. He seemed to be startled by his movement, and even his eyebrows curved two or three times when he saw that it was him.
"Why are you so flustered?"
With a smile, he extended his hand to call Xiao Wangshu over, and what greeted Xie Xuanhui was a hug with a slight coolness.
Almost instantly, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince noticed Xiao Wangshu's mood, and with a fierce look in his eyes, he said:
"Your sister made you angry again?!"
Without saying anything, Xiao Wangshu just hugged His Royal Highness the Crown Prince tighter. His Royal Highness seemed to have just taken a bath, and his hair still had the unique fragrance after the bath.
"Your Highness."
He suddenly called out.
"Um?"
Putting his arms around Xiao Wangshu's waist, Xie Xuanhui really enjoyed the hug. He was even a little proud, and even the ending of his tone was unconsciously joyful and uplifting.
"I am very pleased with you."
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